Bangladesh’s government aims to cut road accidents and deaths by half by 2030, Road Transport, Rail and Shipping Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam said at an inauguration event in Tejgaon, Dhaka, on Monday. About 5,000 people die in road crashes in the country each year, he said. The event, held under the Bangladesh Road Safety Project, inaugurated 60 basic life support ambulances, 40 motorcycle ambulances and 80 patrol motorcycles for highway police.

The minister said the road-safety drive prioritises driver training, vehicle fitness, speed control, pedestrian awareness and rapid medical care after crashes. He identified unfit vehicles, unskilled and unqualified drivers, uncontrolled speed, failure to use helmets and pedestrian unawareness as major causes of accidents.

The government plans to enact an integrated safe-road law by December 2027, Sheikh Rabiul Alam said. Other planned practical steps include relocating markets beside highways, creating necessary diversions at regional road intersections, and installing road signs and markings. He said enforcement and public-awareness efforts must proceed together, while the project includes driver training and physical fitness assessments.